Ned Booher’s Kokomo: A Pictorial History says that Pictureland was destroyed by fire in December, 1923. The building might have survived, but the theater apparently never reopened.
The 1912-1913 Kokomo city directory has a listing for the “Star Theatre, Etta M. Albaugh propr, 127 N. Buckeye.” The Star is not listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, so if it was operating in 1916 it might have closed for a while and then reopened.
The October 19, 1975 issue of the Kokomo Tribune has an article about the Alhambra Theatre. It was built in 1903 as an arena for roller polo, a game that became popular around the turn of the century. The Kokomo team played its first game in the new arena on December 2, 1903.
The venture was not a great financial success, and in 1907 the owners of the building converted it into a theater, adding a stage and dressing rooms and replacing the skating area with seating. This venture too had only a brief life, the building being converted into a furniture store for Sailor Brothers by 1910. On December 9, 1960 the building was razed by a fire, and the following year a Woolworth store was erected on the site.
A May 11, 2006 article in the Kokomo Tribune says that the Isis Theatre was built in 1913. It was exclusively a motion picture house, and one of three Kokomo theaters to have a pipe organ. It was the last downtown theater operating in Kokomo, closing in the 1980s. The building was demolished in 1989 after having been vacant for some time.
The house at 110 N. Main was listed as the Ideal Theatre in the 1912 city directory. It suffered a fire on April 28, 1915 (July, 1915 issue of Safety Engineering.) It was reopened and renamed the Cort Theatre (mentioned in the January 1, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World.) The building was demolished in 1917 according to an article in the May 11, 2006 issue of the Kokomo Tribune.
Yarnelle is indeed the spelling used in both the Gus Hill guide and the American Motion Picture Directory. I’ve found the name used in local publications during the years 1913, 1914 and 1915.
The renovated Eagles Theatre was slated to reopen in March, 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, events have been rescheduled, the target for opening now being July. The renovated Eagles Theatre has 560 seats. The basement now features a new 50-seat venue designed for movies, called the Ferguson Theatre.
This brief video from Weather.com includes a shot of part of the State Theatre’s stage house collapsing. I don’t know how long it will be available, as I’m not familiar with the site’s policy.
Bad news from Marysville.The auditorium of the Avalon Theatre partly collapsed on June 3, 2020 during renovations. Fortunately the collapse took place overnight, and there were no reported injuries. Spokespersons say the renovation project will go ahead despite the loss.
The American Contractor of March 26, 1921, carried a notice about a project that was probably the Illinois Theatre:
“Centralia, Ill.– Theater (MP) $50 000, 2 sty., 138x50, Centralia. Archt. Gill & Fat [sic], 1329A Walnut St., Murphysboro I11. Owner Hall & Griffin, Centralia. Gen. contr. let to MJ Heaton, Centralia. Owner & Gen. contr. taking bids on subs.”
The correct name of the architectural firm was Gill & Fath, who also designed the Rodgers Theatre at Carbondale and Marlow’s Theatre at Murphysboro. Rudolph Zerses Gill was a well-known architect in the region, and several of his buildings have been nominated to the NRHP. I’ve been unable to find any information about Mr. Fath.
The Webb Theatre in Peru is listed in the Department of Inspection’s section of the Annual Reports of the Officers of State of the State of Indiana for the fiscal year ending October 31, 1904. The Webb was reported to be in good condition, not surprising since it must have been built after 1899 and was thus no more than four years old. I’ve searched construction journals for the period from 1899 to 1904, but haven’t yet found any notices for the theater project.
The news that the building would be converted into a YMCA was false. Only the front section of the building survives. The auditorium has been razed and a new structure erected in its place. The Lyric Theatre is gone.
I don’t seen any links in previous comments to this video about the restoration of Shea’s Buffalo, posted at YouTube in 2014. It’s worth a look, with lots of interesting details. I had no idea, for example, that the interior decoration was done by Tiffany Studios.
A book of Schuylkill County biographies published in 1916 says that Charles F. Kear had been the manager of the Opera House in Minersville since 1891. The Opera House was listed in the 1903-1904 Cahn guide as a second-floor house with 750 seats. Kear submitted capsule movie reviews that were published in several issues of The Moving Picture World in 1924, and listed the seating capacity of the Opera House as 450 at that time. Kear was also mentioned in the April 7, 1928 issue of Exhibitors Herald, when he was elected a vice-president of the regional exhibitor’s organization.
The July 16, 1937 issue of The Film Daily said that M. A. Lightman’s Malco Theatres had taken over Max Davitts' house at Winona, Mississippi, but this deal must have fallen through, as another notice appeared in Boxoffice of August 12, 1939, over two years later:
“Malco Adds Winona
“Memphis — M. A. Lightman, president of Malco Theatres, has added another theatre to his circuit. He advises that effective August 15 he is taking over the Winona Theatre at Winona, Miss. This theatre has been operated for the past 28 years by Max Davitts. Other houses operated by Lightman in Mississippi are located at West Point, Columbus and Tupelo”
The August 2, 1950 issue of Motion Picture Daily carried this notice about the Winona Theatre:
“New Orleans, Aug. 1. — Paramount Gulf Theatres has sold the Winona Theatre at Winona, Miss., to E. W. Clinton, exhibitor of Monticello, Miss. He also owns theatres in Georgetown and Summerall, Miss.”
The October 15, 1910 issue of The Moving Picture World had this item:
“Palestine. Tex. — Bell & Englebretch, of St.
Louis, have opened a new moving picture theater at 288 Oak street. It is known as the ‘Gem.’”
It’s possible that Palestine renumbered its lots at some point, accounting for the discrepancy in the address. It might also be that the building erected in 1908 did not become a theater until 1910, or perhaps Bell & Englebretch simply didn’t tell the magazine that they were taking over an existing theater when they sent in their notice to the editors.
By 1925 the Gem was being operated by Robb & Rowley Theatres, and that year it suffered a major fire, as noted in this item from the October 24 issue of Universal Weekly:
“H B. ROBB of the Robb and Rowley Enterprises announces that his firm is planning an extensive remodeling program for their theatres in Palestine, Texas. Besides remodeling and rebuilding the Gem, which was recently destroyed by fire, they contemplate spending $25,000 on the Best.”
The Hippodrome Theatre at Covington, Virginia, was listed as a subscriber to The American Motion Picture League in that outfit’s ad in The Moving Picture World of December 20, 1913.
The Masonic Theatre is listed in the 1909-1910 Cahn guide as a 700 seat ground floor house. It is listed in the December 20, 1913 issue of The Moving Picture World as being a subscriber to The American Motion Picture League. Another Covington house, the Hippodrome, was also on that list.
An item in the June 10, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World says that the Masonic Theatre in Covington, Virginia, had been renovated and renamed the Strand Theatre.
Historic photos of the Masonic/Strand Theatre show that it was not in the two story building at 311 W. Main Street, but in a three story building in the 200 block, on the opposite side of the street, east of what is now the Wells Fargo Bank building and sited on what is now that building’s parking lot.
Here is a 1956 photo of the Strand, next door to the Citizens Bank building, which might be the Wells Fargo building, now extensively remodeled, but probably in the same location either way.
Here is a very small, undated photo of Main Street looking west, with the Strand at right. The building farther down on the right with the arched windows on the ground floor is still standing, as is the more distant, taller building with the blank white wall. There can be no mistake about the Strand’s location, or the fact that it has been demolished, though its exact address is moot. Wells Fargo is at 246 W. Main, so the Strand’s address might have been about 240.
The June 10, 1916 Moving Picture World had another item about the Lyric Theatre:
“Covington, Ind.—Fred Bower, popular moving picture theater manager, has opened his new house, the Lyric, and has been accorded fine patronage by Covingtonians. Bower is entitled to all he gets, because the Lyric is a beautifully appointed theater. While not a large theater as large theaters are known in larger cities, there is ample seating capacity and no pains have been spared on the decorative effects. The finishing has been done throughout in soft colors and one feels like walking into a beautifully appointed home instead of a theater when one enters. A ‘homey’ theater has always been one of the Bower strong points.”
The “New Motion Picture Theatres Planned” column of The Moving Picture World for July 3, 1920, had this item:
“UHRICHSVILLE, O.— C. S. Valo has plans by Arnold & Lewis, New Philadelphia, O., for two-story brick and concrete moving picture theatre, 60 by 100 feet, to cost $35,000.”
I’ve been unable to find out if the name “C. S. Valo” might have been a typo, but as it is so close to Vale it does seem a possibility. The only mention of the Vale Theatre itself I’ve found is in a 1925 newspaper article, in which it is mentioned only in passing. It would be quite a coincidence if someone named Valo had a theater built in Uhrichsville in 1920 and a few years later there was a theater there called the Vale, and there wasn’t a connection between them.
The October 11, 1924 issue of Exhibitors Herald had an article about E. E. Bair, owner of the State Theatre, and it said that he had opened the house on January 1, 1923.
The Strand Theatre opened in 1921. In 1922, as reported in the February 2 issue of the Bath Independent, Frank Owen, lessor of the rival Orono Theatre, bought out the owner of the Strand and moved his operation to the new house.
Ned Booher’s Kokomo: A Pictorial History says that Pictureland was destroyed by fire in December, 1923. The building might have survived, but the theater apparently never reopened.
The 1912-1913 Kokomo city directory lists the “Lyric Theatre, W O Tarkington mngr, 103 E Sycamore.”
The 1912-1913 Kokomo city directory has a listing for the “Star Theatre, Etta M. Albaugh propr, 127 N. Buckeye.” The Star is not listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, so if it was operating in 1916 it might have closed for a while and then reopened.
The October 19, 1975 issue of the Kokomo Tribune has an article about the Alhambra Theatre. It was built in 1903 as an arena for roller polo, a game that became popular around the turn of the century. The Kokomo team played its first game in the new arena on December 2, 1903.
The venture was not a great financial success, and in 1907 the owners of the building converted it into a theater, adding a stage and dressing rooms and replacing the skating area with seating. This venture too had only a brief life, the building being converted into a furniture store for Sailor Brothers by 1910. On December 9, 1960 the building was razed by a fire, and the following year a Woolworth store was erected on the site.
A May 11, 2006 article in the Kokomo Tribune says that the Isis Theatre was built in 1913. It was exclusively a motion picture house, and one of three Kokomo theaters to have a pipe organ. It was the last downtown theater operating in Kokomo, closing in the 1980s. The building was demolished in 1989 after having been vacant for some time.
The house at 110 N. Main was listed as the Ideal Theatre in the 1912 city directory. It suffered a fire on April 28, 1915 (July, 1915 issue of Safety Engineering.) It was reopened and renamed the Cort Theatre (mentioned in the January 1, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World.) The building was demolished in 1917 according to an article in the May 11, 2006 issue of the Kokomo Tribune.
Yarnelle is indeed the spelling used in both the Gus Hill guide and the American Motion Picture Directory. I’ve found the name used in local publications during the years 1913, 1914 and 1915.
The renovated Eagles Theatre was slated to reopen in March, 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, events have been rescheduled, the target for opening now being July. The renovated Eagles Theatre has 560 seats. The basement now features a new 50-seat venue designed for movies, called the Ferguson Theatre.
This brief video from Weather.com includes a shot of part of the State Theatre’s stage house collapsing. I don’t know how long it will be available, as I’m not familiar with the site’s policy.
Judging from the automobiles and the skirt length of the woman pedestrian, I’d say this photo dates from the 1920s, and no earlier than 1922.
That should say June 4, not June 3.
Bad news from Marysville.The auditorium of the Avalon Theatre partly collapsed on June 3, 2020 during renovations. Fortunately the collapse took place overnight, and there were no reported injuries. Spokespersons say the renovation project will go ahead despite the loss.
The American Contractor of March 26, 1921, carried a notice about a project that was probably the Illinois Theatre:
The correct name of the architectural firm was Gill & Fath, who also designed the Rodgers Theatre at Carbondale and Marlow’s Theatre at Murphysboro. Rudolph Zerses Gill was a well-known architect in the region, and several of his buildings have been nominated to the NRHP. I’ve been unable to find any information about Mr. Fath.The Webb Theatre in Peru is listed in the Department of Inspection’s section of the Annual Reports of the Officers of State of the State of Indiana for the fiscal year ending October 31, 1904. The Webb was reported to be in good condition, not surprising since it must have been built after 1899 and was thus no more than four years old. I’ve searched construction journals for the period from 1899 to 1904, but haven’t yet found any notices for the theater project.
The news that the building would be converted into a YMCA was false. Only the front section of the building survives. The auditorium has been razed and a new structure erected in its place. The Lyric Theatre is gone.
I don’t seen any links in previous comments to this video about the restoration of Shea’s Buffalo, posted at YouTube in 2014. It’s worth a look, with lots of interesting details. I had no idea, for example, that the interior decoration was done by Tiffany Studios.
A book of Schuylkill County biographies published in 1916 says that Charles F. Kear had been the manager of the Opera House in Minersville since 1891. The Opera House was listed in the 1903-1904 Cahn guide as a second-floor house with 750 seats. Kear submitted capsule movie reviews that were published in several issues of The Moving Picture World in 1924, and listed the seating capacity of the Opera House as 450 at that time. Kear was also mentioned in the April 7, 1928 issue of Exhibitors Herald, when he was elected a vice-president of the regional exhibitor’s organization.
The July 16, 1937 issue of The Film Daily said that M. A. Lightman’s Malco Theatres had taken over Max Davitts' house at Winona, Mississippi, but this deal must have fallen through, as another notice appeared in Boxoffice of August 12, 1939, over two years later:
The August 2, 1950 issue of Motion Picture Daily carried this notice about the Winona Theatre:The October 15, 1910 issue of The Moving Picture World had this item:
It’s possible that Palestine renumbered its lots at some point, accounting for the discrepancy in the address. It might also be that the building erected in 1908 did not become a theater until 1910, or perhaps Bell & Englebretch simply didn’t tell the magazine that they were taking over an existing theater when they sent in their notice to the editors.By 1925 the Gem was being operated by Robb & Rowley Theatres, and that year it suffered a major fire, as noted in this item from the October 24 issue of Universal Weekly:
The Hippodrome Theatre at Covington, Virginia, was listed as a subscriber to The American Motion Picture League in that outfit’s ad in The Moving Picture World of December 20, 1913.
The Masonic Theatre is listed in the 1909-1910 Cahn guide as a 700 seat ground floor house. It is listed in the December 20, 1913 issue of The Moving Picture World as being a subscriber to The American Motion Picture League. Another Covington house, the Hippodrome, was also on that list.
An item in the June 10, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World says that the Masonic Theatre in Covington, Virginia, had been renovated and renamed the Strand Theatre.
Historic photos of the Masonic/Strand Theatre show that it was not in the two story building at 311 W. Main Street, but in a three story building in the 200 block, on the opposite side of the street, east of what is now the Wells Fargo Bank building and sited on what is now that building’s parking lot.
Here is a 1956 photo of the Strand, next door to the Citizens Bank building, which might be the Wells Fargo building, now extensively remodeled, but probably in the same location either way.
Here is an undated photo showing the Strand when it was the Masonic Theatre.
Here is a very small, undated photo of Main Street looking west, with the Strand at right. The building farther down on the right with the arched windows on the ground floor is still standing, as is the more distant, taller building with the blank white wall. There can be no mistake about the Strand’s location, or the fact that it has been demolished, though its exact address is moot. Wells Fargo is at 246 W. Main, so the Strand’s address might have been about 240.
The June 10, 1916 Moving Picture World had another item about the Lyric Theatre:
The “New Motion Picture Theatres Planned” column of The Moving Picture World for July 3, 1920, had this item:
I’ve been unable to find out if the name “C. S. Valo” might have been a typo, but as it is so close to Vale it does seem a possibility. The only mention of the Vale Theatre itself I’ve found is in a 1925 newspaper article, in which it is mentioned only in passing. It would be quite a coincidence if someone named Valo had a theater built in Uhrichsville in 1920 and a few years later there was a theater there called the Vale, and there wasn’t a connection between them.The October 11, 1924 issue of Exhibitors Herald had an article about E. E. Bair, owner of the State Theatre, and it said that he had opened the house on January 1, 1923.
The Strand Theatre opened in 1921. In 1922, as reported in the February 2 issue of the Bath Independent, Frank Owen, lessor of the rival Orono Theatre, bought out the owner of the Strand and moved his operation to the new house.